BRITISH BORNEO. 63 
downpours of rain. Ido not remember having ever come 
across a bit of dz//can that showed signs of decay during a 
residence of seventeen years in the East. The wood is very 
heavy and sinks in water, so that, in order to be shipped, it 
has to be floated on rafts of soft wood, of which there is an 
abundance of excellent quality, of which one kind—the red 
serayah—is likely to come into demand by builders in England. 
Other of the woods, such as mirabau, penagah and rengas, 
have good grain and take a fine polish, causing them to be 
suitable for the manufacture of furniture. The large tree 
which yields the Camphor darus of commerce also affords good 
timber. It is a Dryobalanops, and is not to be confused with 
the Cinnamomum camphora, from which the ordinary ‘‘cam- 
_phor’”’ is obtained and the wood of which retains the camphor 
smell and is largely used by the Chinese in the manufacture of 
~ boxes, the scented wood keeping off ants and other insects which 
auemampestaim the Mar Bast. “Phe Borneo camphor tree is 
found only in Borneo and Sumatra. The camphor which is 
collected for export, principally to China and India, by the 
natives, is found in a solid state in the trunk, but only ina 
small percentage of the trees, which are felled by the collect- 
ors. The price of this camphor darus as it is termed, is said 
to be nearly ahundred times as much as that of the ordinary 
camphor, and it is used by the Chinese and Indians principally 
for embalming purposes. Billian and other woods enumerated 
are all found near the coast and, generally, in convenient prox- 
imity to some stream, and so easily available for export. 
Sandakan harbour has some thirteen rivers and streams run- 
ning into it, and, as the native population is very small, the 
jungle has been scarcely touched, and no better locality could, 
therefore, be desired by a timber merchant. Two European 
Timber Companies are now doing a good business there, and 
the Chinese also take their share of the trade. China affords 
a ready and large market for Borneo timber, being itself al- 
most forestless, and for many years past it has received iron- 
wood from Sarawak. Borneo timber has also been exported 
to the Straits Settlements, Australia and Mauritius, and I hear 
that an order has been given for England. Iron wood is only 
found in certain districts, notably in Sandakan Bay and on 
